Quantum confinement in graphene quantum dots

By performing density functional theory calculations, we studied the quantum confinement in charged graphene quantum dots (GQDs), which is found to be clearly edge and shape dependent. It is found that the excess charges have a large distribution at the edges of the GQD. The resulting energy spectrum shift is very nonuniform and hence the Coulomb diamonds in the charge stability diagram vary irregularly, in good agreement with the observed nonperiodic Coulomb blockade oscillation. We also illustrate that the level statistics of the GQDs can be described by a Gaussian distribution, as predicted for chaotic Dirac billiards.

     

Photoluminescence and optical absorption properties of silicon quantum dots embedded in Si-rich silicon nitride matrices

Silicon nitride (SiN_x) films were prepared with a gas mixture of SiH₄ and NH₃ on Si wafers using the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) method. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy and infrared absorption have been used to reveal the existence of the Si quantum dots (Si QDs) and to determine the chemical composition of the silicon nitride layers. The optical properties of these structures were studied by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and indicate that emission mechanisms are dominated by confined excitons within Si QDs. The peak position of PL could be controlled in the wavelength range from 1.5 to 2.2 eV by adjusting the flow rates of ammonia and silane gases. Absorbance spectra obtained in the transmission mode reveal optical absorption from Si QDs, which is in good correlation with PL properties. These results have implications for future nanomaterial deposition controlling and device applications.     

Spatial versus quantum confinement in porous amorphous silicon nanostructures

Light-emitting porous amorphous silicon has been produced by anodization in HF of hydrogenated amorphous silicon films. The maximal thickness of the porous films is limited by the onset of an instability which results in the formation of large channels short-circuiting the amorphous layer. This is due to the high resistivity of the amorphous silicon films as compared to that of the electrolyte. Confinement effects on the electron wavefunction are analyzed in situ using photoluminescence measurements in hydrofluoric acid and compared to those observed in porous crystalline silicon. For crystalline silicon, a huge blue shift of the photoluminescence is observable upon reducing the size of the structures by photo-etch, showing clear evidence of quantum confinement effects in this material. No shift has been observed when carrying out the same experiment with amorphous silicon. This indicates that the extent of the wavefunction in the bandtail states involved in luminescence is too small to be sensitive to confinement down to the minimum sizes of our porous material ( 3 nm). Measurements of the width and the temperature dependence of the photoluminescence demonstrate that the Urbach energy does not change upon increasing the porosity, i.e., upon decreasing the size of the a-Si:H nanostructures, in contradiction with what has been reported in ultrathin a-Si:H multilayers. Received: 3 August 1998     

Excitonic photoluminescence characteristics of amorphous silicon nanoparticles embedded in silicon nitride film

We have investigated the photoluminescence (PL) properties of amorphous silicon nanoparticles (a-Si NPs) embedded in silicon nitride film (Si-in-SiN_x) grown by helicon wave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (HWP-CVD) technique. The PL spectrum of the film exhibits a broad band constituted of two Gaussian components. From photoluminescence excitation (PLE) measurements, it is elucidated that the two PL bands are associated with the a-Si NPs and the silicon nitride matrix surrounding a-Si NPs, respectively. The existence of Stokes shift between PL and absorption edge indicates that radiative recombination of carriers occurs in the states at the surface of the Si NPs, whereas their generation takes place in the a-Si NPs cores and the silicon nitride matrix, respectively. The visible PL of the film originates from the radiative recombination of excitons trapped in the surface states. At decreasing excitation energy (E_ex), the PL peak energy was found to be redshifted, accompanied by a narrowing of the bandwidth. These results are explained by surface exciton recombination model taking into account there existing a size distribution of a-Si NPs in the silicon nitride matrix.     

Quantum confinement effects on the optical phonons of CdTe quantum dots

We present Raman-scattering results for CdTe nanocrystals in doped glasses which clearly show the confinement effects on the phonon spectra as a function of the quantum-dot size. We observed optical phonon modes, surface phonons and some of their overtone combinations. We show that the surface-phonon scattering intensity increases as the quantum-dot size decreases. Our results also show a decrease in the electron–phonon coupling as the nanocrystal size is decreased. These confinement effects are observed by changing the laser excitation energy, and thus by tuning to resonance with the optical transitions for quantum dots of different sizes within their broad size distribution in semiconductor-doped glasses.     

Quantum emission efficiency of nanocrystalline and amorphous Si quantum dots

The paper presents the comparison of emission efficiencies for crystalline Si quantum dots (QDs) and amorphous Si nanoclusters (QDs) embedded in hydrogenated amorphous (a-Si:H) films grown by the hot wire-CVD method (HW-CVD) at the variation of technological parameters. The correlations between the intensities of different PL bands and the volumes of Si nanocrystals (nc-Si:H) and/or an amorphous (a-Si:H) phase have been revealed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and photoluminescence (PL) methods. These correlations permit to discuss the PL mechanisms in a-Si:H films with embedded nc-Si QDs. The QD parameters of nc-Si:H and a-Si:H QDs have been estimated from PL results and have been compared (for nc-Si QDs) with the parameters obtained by the XRD method. Using PL and XRD results the relations between quantum emission efficiencies for crystalline (η_cr) and amorphous (η_am) QDs have been estimated and discussed for all studied QD samples. It is revealed that a-Si:H films prepared by HW-CVD with the variation of wire temperatures are characterized by better passivation of nonradiative recombination centers in comparison with the films prepared at the variation of substrate temperatures or oxygen flows.     

硅纳米结构晶体管中与杂质量子点相关的量子输运

在小于10 nm的沟道空间中,杂质数目和杂质波动范围变得十分有限,这对器件性能有很大的影响.局域纳米空间中的电离杂质还能够展现出量子点特性,为电荷输运提供两个分立的杂质能级.利用杂质原子作为量子输运构件的硅纳米结构晶体管有望成为未来量子计算电路的基本组成器件.本文结合安德森定域化理论和Hubbard带模型对单个、分立和耦合杂质原子系统中的量子输运特性进行了综述,系统介绍了提升杂质原子晶体管工作温度的方法.     

Recent progresses of quantum confinement in graphene quantum dots

Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) not only have potential applications on spin qubit, but also serve as essential platforms to study the fundamental properties of Dirac fermions, such as Klein tunneling and Berry phase. By now, the study of quantum confinement in GQDs still attract much attention in condensed matter physics. In this article, we review the experimental progresses on quantum confinement in GQDs mainly by using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS). Here, the GQDs are divided into Klein GQDs, bound-state GQDs and edge-terminated GQDs according to their different confinement strength. Based on the realization of quasi-bound states in Klein GQDs, external perpendicular magnetic field is utilized as a manipulation approach to trigger and control the novel properties by tuning Berry phase and electron–electron (e–e) interaction. The tip-induced edge-free GQDs can serve as an intuitive mean to explore the broken symmetry states at nanoscale and single-electron accuracy, which are expected to be used in studying physical properties of different two-dimensional materials. Moreover, high-spin magnetic ground states are successfully introduced in edge-terminated GQDs by designing and synthesizing triangulene zigzag nanographenes.     

Quantum confinement in phosphorus-doped silicon nanocrystals

Electronic properties of phosphorus donors in hydrogenated silicon nanocrystals are investigated using a real-space ab initio pseudopotential method for systems with up to 500 atoms. We present calculations for the ionization energy, binding energy, and electron density associated with the doped nanocrystal. We find that the ionization energy for the nanocrystal is virtually independent of size. This behavior may be attributed to localization of the electron around the impurity site owing to a large electron-impurity interaction within confined systems. In contrast to this result, the calculated hyperfine splitting exhibits a strong size dependence. For small nanocrystals it greatly exceeds the bulk value. This finding agrees with recent experimental measurements.     

Ion tracks in amorphous silicon nitride

The morphology of the tracks of swift ions revealed in amorphous silicon nitride after treatment in an HF solution is studied. The Si₃N₄/Si structures were irradiated with Fe, Kr, and W ions in the electron energy loss regime. Discontinuous tracks were recorded upon exposure to W only, with an electron energy loss of 20.4 keV nm⁻¹ being maximal for the conditions of our experiment. The results from calculations of the track formation in Si₃N₄ based on the thermal spike model are presented.     

Few-electron semiconductor quantum dots with Gaussian confinement

We have performed Hartree-Fock calculations of the electronic structure of N ≤ 10 electrons in a quantum dot modeled with a confining Gaussian potential well. We discuss the conditions for the stability of N bound electrons in the system. We show that the most relevant parameter determining the number of bound electrons is V ₀ R ². Such a feature arises from widely valid scaling properties of the confining potential. Gaussian Quantum dots having N = 2, 5, and 8 electrons are particularly stable in agreement with the Hund rule. The shell structure becomes less and less noticeable as the well radius increases.      

Quantum dots in quantum well structures

Recent progress toward fabricating and characterizing quantum dots in III–V quantum well structures is reviewed. Quantum dots made by use of lithography and etching, including deep-etched, barrier-modulated, strain-induced and interdiffused quantum dots, are described. Quantum dots fabricated by growth, including natural quantum dots, dots on patterned substrates, and self-assembled dots, are discussed. Dot sizes and uniformity, energy-level splittings, and luminescence efficiencies that are now being achieved are discussed. The status of key issues, such as the energy relaxation in quantum dots, is mentioned.     

Photoactivation of silicon quantum dots

We show that free-standing silicon quantum dots (QDs) can be photoactivated by blue or UV optical irradiation. The luminescence intensity increases by an order of magnitude for irradiation times of several minutes under moderate optical power. The cut-off energy for photoactivation is between 2.1 and 2.4 eV, not very different from the activation energy for hydrogen dissociation from bulk silicon surfaces. We propose the mechanism for this effect is associated with silicon-hydride bond breaking and the subsequent oxidation of dangling bonds. This phenomenon could be used to “write” luminescent quantum dots into pre-determined arrays.     

Nano-laser on silicon quantum dots

A new conception of nano-laser is proposed in which depending on the size of nano-clusters (silicon quantum dots (QD)), the pumping level of laser can be tuned by the quantum confinement (QC) effect, and the population inversion can be formed between the valence band and the localized states in gap produced from the surface bonds of nano-clusters. Here we report the experimental demonstration of nano-laser on silicon quantum dots fabricated by nanosecond pulse laser. The peaks of stimulated emission are observed at 605 nm and 693 nm. Through the micro-cavity of nano-laser, a full width at half maximum of the peak at 693 nm can reach to 0.5 nm. The theoretical model and the experimental results indicate that it is a necessary condition for setting up nano-laser that the smaller size of QD (d < 3 nm) can make the localized states into band gap. The emission energy of nano-laser will be limited in the range of 1.7-2.3 eV generally due to the position of the localized states in gap, which is in good agreement between the experiments and the theory.     

Transport in split-gate silicon quantum dots

We report on the transport properties of novel Si quantum dot structures with controllable electron number through both top and side gates. Quantum dots were fabricated by a split-gate technique within a standard MOSFET process. Four-terminal dc electrical measurements were performed at 4.2 K in a liquid helium cryostat. Strong oscillations in the conductance through the dot are observed as a function of both the top gate bias and of the plunger bias. An overall monotonic and quasi-periodic movement of the peak conductance is observed which is believed to be associated with the bare level structure of the electronic states in the dot coupled with the Coulomb charging energy. Crossing behavior is observed as well, suggestive of either many-body effects or symmetry breaking of the dot states by the applied bias.     

包含硅量子点的富硅SiNx 薄膜结构与发光特性

采用等离子体增强化学气相沉积法, 以NH₃与SiH₄为反应气体, n型单晶硅为衬底, 低温(220 ℃)沉积了富硅氮化硅(SiN_x)薄膜. 在N₂氛围中, 于500–1100 ℃ 范围内对样品进行了热退火处理. 采用Raman 光谱技术分析了薄膜内硅量子点的结晶情况, 结果表明, 当退火温度低于950 ℃时, 样品的晶化率低于18%, 而当退火温度升为1100 ℃, 晶化率增加至53%, 说明大部分硅量子点都由非晶态转变为晶态. 实验通过Fourier 变换红外吸收(FTIR)光谱检测了样品中各键的键合结构演变, 发现Si–N键和Si–H键随退火温度升高向高波数方向移动, 说明了薄膜内近化学计量比的氮化硅逐渐形成. 实验还通过光致发光(PL)光谱分析了各样品的发光特性, 发现各样品中均有5个发光峰, 讨论了它们的发光来源, 结合Raman光谱与FTIR光谱表明波长位于500–560 nm的绿光来源于硅量子点, 其他峰则来源于薄膜内的缺陷态. 研究了硅量子点的分布和尺寸对发光带移动的影响, 并根据PL峰位计算了硅量子点的尺寸, 其大小为1.6–3 nm, 具有良好的限域效应. 这些结果有助于制备尺寸不同的硅量子点和基于硅量子点光电器件的实现. 关键词： 硅量子点 氮化硅薄膜 光致发光 Fourier 变换红外吸收     

Impurity binding energies in quantum dots with parabolic confinement

We present an effective numerical procedure to calculate the binding energies and wave functions of the hydrogen-like impurity states in a quantum dot (QD) with parabolic confinement. The unknown wave function was expressed as an expansion over one-dimensional harmonic oscillator states, which describes the electron's movement along the defined z-axis. Green's function technique used to obtain the solution of Schredinger equation for electronic states in a transverse plane. Binding energy of impurity states is defined as poles of the wave function. The dependences of the binding energy on the position of an impurity, the size of the QD and the magnetic field strength are presented and discussed.     

Optical harmonic generation in amorphous silicon nitride microcavities

Second harmonic (SH) and third harmonic (TH) generation in amorphous silicon nitride microcavity are experimentally investigated. The transmitted SH and TH signals are measured in the 0.9-1.4 μm spectral range, showing enhanced nonlinear conversion efficiency corresponding to resonant wavelength and optical band edges. The efficiencies of the SH and TH generation processes are found to be enhanced by about two and one orders of magnitude, respectively, in comparison with the case of reference amorphous silicon nitride sample. The SH spectra can be reasonably interpreted as due to surface/interface harmonic generation, while the TH signal is related to bulk isotropic third-order polarization. The results obtained for the TH signal are discussed in terms of the linear optical properties of amorphous silicon nitride thin films.     

氮化硅薄膜中硅纳米颗粒的形成机制研究

采用等离子体增强化学气相沉积技术,以SiH₄作为硅源, NH₃和N₂共同作为氮源,在单晶硅衬底上制备了不同的氮化硅薄膜. X射线衍射分析薄膜晶体结构,通过计算晶格尺寸大小证明了纳米硅颗粒的存在. 傅里叶变换红外光谱分析了薄膜中的键合作用的变化并结合化学反应过程对氮化硅薄膜中纳米硅颗粒的形成机制进行了研究,发现Si—Si键作为硅纳米颗粒的初始位置, 当反应朝着生成Si—Si的方向进行时,可以促进氮化硅薄膜中硅纳米颗粒的形成. X射线衍射分析和光致发光实验结果表明Si—Si键浓度增大时, 所形成的纳米硅颗粒的尺寸和浓度都随之增大.